"Papa?!" He looked equally shocked to see me."Alexandria, what are you doing in Durnca? You look so good.""Oh, you mean I look good for someone you abandoned? You took everything we owned, sold them and just left. Did you ever care about me and what might happen to me?" Suddenly, all the anger came pouring in."Now lass, don't get so upset, I regret everything already. I just thought if..." I took his hand and helped him up."We can't talk in the middle of the street. Come home with me, you can wash, eat and then explain yourself."I led him to my home, not minding the many stares we attracted on the way.As soon as we got home, thankfully, Cecilia was not in the house, she was probably with Papa and Christopher was still at the farm. I showed Pa the bath and gave him a bar of soap, before I went to check some of Christopher's clothes for a befitting size for Pa; then I spread it out for him and got started on dinner.Just as Papa came out, now cleaned and dressed in Christopher's c
I went for the keg of rum, lifting it up and saving the little that remained in the keg."Papa, please calm down and let me explain.""You call him Papa?!" Papa Ramsey said from his spot next to Christopher, even he sounded angry."How do you expect me to calm down? That fellow took my wife away from me and he...""So what? She returned to you, didn't she? You're not the one she left with a little child to care for." Papa Benjamin's anger seemed to have increased."What did you say to me?! You knew she had just given birth to a baby, yet you took her away without...""Papa, please..." I tried pleading with him."Stop calling that man Papa, he took your mother from you. Remember how you always cried and missed her, she was here, with that...""Be quiet, Papa!" I yelled, surprising everyone and even myself. "Stay here and work on that mouth of yours." Then I turned a pleading look to Christopher. "Please help yourself to dinner, I will be back soon." I took Papa Benjamin's hand and led
I was standing at the entrance of the Duke's home, holding Cecilia's hand but unable to push myself to go in.Papa Benjamin wanted to come with me but because I didn't want him to see Gwen in her condition, I insisted on traveling alone. That is, until Cecilia cried her eyes out, begging me to take her with me. I had no choice but to bring her along. At least if Gwen threw me out, I would have Cecilia by my side."Mama?" She called, tugging on my hand. "Why are we standing here? Won't we go in?""Give me a moment, please." But I didn't get a moment because Arthur spotted me and ran over to hug me. I swatted to receive his hug."My brothers can walk now." He announced without even a hello."Can they? They are so grown." I feigned disbelief."Eliott still stumbles but Eric could run any day now." I laughed."Who told you that? He has to get used to walking first before he can run.""Mama did. Come on, she will tell you." He took my hand and led me into the house, Cecilia was close behin
Cecilia and I stayed for a week in Gwen's home. A complete seven days of Gwen asking me relentless questions about my relationship with Christopher, if I had any plans of accepting it and giving her another niece or a nephew this time.She had a lot to say about the advantages of being married, especially to a good man and I must confess, she got into my head.I never wanted to get married, that was true, but now I was married, and Christopher is not like my father and neither am I like my mother. We were friends before we got married and Mama was already married to someone else, that was the only reason she had to leave me; she was never married to Papa.Christopher had gone out of his way a lot of times to help me out and he was very respectful of my decisions. Maybe and just maybe, I could let go of my fears and accept our marriage; rather than a temporary one, it could be permanent.After all, I could admit I had grown fond of Christopher. I always caught myself thinking of him an
"That would be me." I turned sharply to Christopher."You? You are Gideon?" He came closer and took the letter from me."Yes.""I... I don't understand. You're Chris...""My real name is Gideon." I suddenly began laughing."You're jesting. You can't be Gideon and be Christopher at the same time." He didn't smile, his eyes were sad."I am Gideon Griffiths, from...""No..." I said, shaking my head."Alexa, you have to listen...""No...""I'm not really a Hallewell, Mr Hallewell only took me in and called me his son. I know where I'm from and I've always known I will go back one day, that is why I never wanted to get close to anyone.""No, it's not true." My heart ached and my throat felt on fire. This was much worse than an ex-lover coming back, he was part of a whole different world."Alexa, it's all thanks to you. If I hadn't met you, I probably wouldn't have finished my last test. Meeting you, changing the way I look, marrying you, that's what helped me pass and now I can go home.""
Cecilia couldn't stop crying.As soon as Christopher got on his horse and rode away, Papa Benjamin must have seen him leave and sensed something was wrong because he came running out of his house to find Cecilia in my arms, crying.Of course he had a few words to say about Christopher after I explained what had happened, but the truth was that there was nothing any of us could do. Cecilia wasn't his real daughter, I was barely even his wife; he had no real bond in Durnca and now he has left for his real home.Fate had a way of giving me the worst all the time. I was barely above a toddler when my mother left me, my father just had to abandon me too and just when I was finally opening up my heart to love someone... he leaves me too.But I had to be strong, for the little girl that needed me.Yet, she wouldn't stop crying. Not even papa could distract her; she just hugged herself and cried even more.I sat by her bed, begging her to stop crying and eat something at least, but she wouldn
I sat there, crying my heart out, not even minding the stares and whispers of the people around me.I couldn't move.The little pieces of my heart that was still in place just got shattered by Cecilia. How could she leave me? And worse, how could she join the bandits? Those murderous band of thieves? The thought of that little girl, going around, hurting and stealing from people made my heart ache. She was just so young, not even nine years yet."Alexa!" I heard Papa Benjamin call but I didn't move, I didn't even look up."Alexa, what are you doing on the ground? Did you find Cecilia?""She left." Was all I said. He reached for me and pulled me up."First get up. We can still find her, she mustn't have gotten far.""Pa, she didn't just leave. She joined the bandits.""She what?" I looked at him then. His eyes were wide in shock and he looked tired. But of course he was, Christopher left abruptly, Cecilia couldn't stop crying and now she has disappeared with strangers. "Joined the ban
"What will you do now?" I was sitting at the garden alone when Pa Benjamin joined me, sitting next to me. Gwen and the baby were buried two days ago, but it did nothing to soothe the ache in my heart; it still didn't feel real to me. I keep expecting her to jump out behind me and tell me it was all a joke.The funeral was a big ceremony and even Robert and his wife had to come with their children, as well as Gwen's acquaintances and the entire population of Arana... after all, their Duchess just died.Papa Benjamin and Papa Ramsey came immediately we sent a letter to them. Of course, Papa Benjamin was furious that we hid the truth from him and he missed Gwen's last moments, but he managed to calm down after a while.Julien didn't know how to go about explaining the situation to Arthur, so I went with him. As expected, he child was devastated and he reminded me so much of Cecilia. I wasn't going to let him feel alone, not ever. I assured him that he still had Julien and I would be wit